NHL - News

Edmonton - The Oilers made center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NHL Draft and on Thursday moved to keep him with the up-and-coming franchise well into the future. Nugent-Hopkins and the Oilers have agreed to a seven-year contract extension, the team announced. Elliotte Friedman of the CBC reports it is worth $42 million. Nugent-Hopkins, 20, is set to enter his third NHL season. As a rookie, he posted 18 goals and 52 points in 62 games. He followed up with four goals and 24 points in 40 games last season and had season-ending shoulder surgery in April.


Dallas - The Stars named forward Jamie Benn captain on Thursday. Benn, 24 and entering his fifth NHL season, led the Stars with 33 points last season. A 2007 fifth-round pick (No. 129), he has 82 goals and 193 points in 263 games. The Stars have been without a captain since trading Brenden Morrow to the Pittsburgh Penguins last season. Defenseman Stephane Robidas and forward Ray Whitney were named alternate captains.

"I'm deeply humbled and honored to be named the captain of the Dallas Stars," Benn said at a press conference in Dallas. "I look forward to representing this organization, my teammates, our fans and this great city in our pursuit to bring another Stanley Cup to Dallas."

"In a very short period of time, Jamie Benn has gone from being an exciting up-and-coming player in the NHL to being a cornerstone of the franchise," GM Jim Nill said. "He has steadily grown as a player and as a person. He conducts himself each and every day in a professional way and continually leads by example. We fully believe that he will be a driving force in getting this team to the next level, and now he's our captain."

Chicago - The Blackhawks on Thursday announced that forward Marian Hossa will miss at least the next four preseason games with an upper-body injury.

"He aggravated an injury there," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville told reporters in Chicago after his team's morning skate in preparation for a preseason game Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. "We're going to keep him off. I wouldn't expect him in the next four games here in the next five nights. We'll see how he progresses after that. He was skating pretty good. We liked the way he was moving out there, but that [the injury] is where we're at."

However, Quenneville said he expects Hossa to be ready for the regular-season opener, Oct. 1 against the Washington Capitals (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN). "Whether we're talking seriousness of it or not, we feel he'll be back and he'll be fine,"

Starting Friday the Blackhawks play three games in four days, all on the road, against the Capitals, Detroit Red Wings, and Penguins. They close the preseason at home Sept. 28 against the Capitals. Hossa did not play in the team's first preseason game, a 2-0 defeat of the Red Wings on Tuesday. A back injury kept Hossa out of Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, as he said a disc was putting pressure on a nerve running down his right leg. He returned for the final three games of the Final, and said that while offseason surgery was possible, he was able to avoid it. Hossa recently told reporters that his back was feeling better, and Quenneville said he has been pleased with what he's seen from Hossa during training camp. Quenneville also said captain Jonathan Toews will not play Thursday, but could make his preseason debut Friday. Toews has not taken part in any of the team's training-camp scrimmages or preseason games due to a lower-body injury.

Anaheim - Ducks defenseman Luca Sbisa is out two weeks with a sprained ankle, the team annouced Thursday. He sustained the injury Monday in the preseason opener against the Phoenix Coyotes. Sbisa played 18 minutes and had a team-leading five hits. The 23-year-old, entering his sixth NHL season, had eight points in 41 games last season with an even rating.


Detroit - Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said veteran forward Daniel Alfredsson has a sore groin and will not play in the team's preseason game Thursday against the Boston Bruins. Alfredsson, 40, has a minus-2 rating with one shot on goal in one preseason game. Forward Johan Franzen also will not play. The team's website said he skated Thursday morning with the first group at Joe Louis Arena but is experiencing a painful hip flexor. Mikael Samuelsson will replace Franzen in the lineup. Center Darren Helm (groin, lower back), who has not played in the first three exhibition games, skated for a short period Thursday morning. It was his first time on the ice since he injured the groin on Sept. 6. Franzen said he hopes to be ready for the preseason home opener Saturday against the Bruins.

"I've had some similar stuff in the past, but I think it's usually kept me out like one or two games," Franzen said. "It's preseason now. It wouldn't be an issue if it where a playoff game. If that were the case we wouldn't even be talking about it. … I really don't want to risk anything."

 

New Jersey - Forward Jaromir Jagr skated on his own for the second day in a row Thursday, general manager Lou Lamoriello told Northjersey.com. Jagr has been sidelined from training camp and preseason games since last Thursday with soreness. Lamoriello told the website "He's getting closer" but gave no timeline for Jagr to return to practice. The Devils play the New York Islanders on Thursday at Prudential Center. Forward Damien Brunner, in camp on a tryout, will make his debut.

"I just want him to play his game," coach Peter DeBoer told the team's website. "Get comfortable, use his speed, make some plays, create some things offensively. Obviously that's what we're looking for, that type of dimension, and he has that ability."